ON LOVE; PART MDXLXIX
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
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In the last essay we completed those parts of our selection from Matthew twenty four that ARE believed by many to pertain to the end times. Our analysis of these verses should show rather clearly that the end times theology attached to these verses IS in error as the entirety of the Master’s words here ARE in regard to the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD. While there ARE more verses ahead that ARE also believed to portend to the end times, they ARE mixed in two parables, which ARE largely misunderstood by those who relate the Master’s to their vision of the end times. Repeating the first two sections of our discussion, we read:
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:5-24).
“Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:25:36).
The next verses for discussion ARE offered in regard to a parable; the Master says “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors“. These words ARE offered as a comparison for the future reference of the disciples to whom the Master IS speaking. As the fig tree shows “that summer is nigh” the preceding word ideas regarding “the Son of man“, will be the tell that the destruction of the city “is near, even at the doors“. We should try to see here that the entirety of the words here ARE NOT a predictor of the time of destruction as some of these things occur during and after. Perhaps the interpretation of the Master’s words into the historic events can help us to understand the signs of the times. In a previous essay (1947) we posted a historical view that shows the progression of the tribulation that the Romans inflicted upon the Jews in 70 AD but there were signs before this with perhaps the first being the Jewish riots of 66 AD. We should remember here that the Master’s words ARE a prediction of what was to come which IS offered without specifics and in a rather parabolic tone. What we should probably try to see IS that the ideas of our current verses regarding the comparison to “the fig tree” ARE founded in the opening ideas from the first section where the Master tells His disciple that “ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows“. This “beginning of sorrows” can surely be seen as the sign “that it is near, even at the doors“.
The Master completes section two of our discussion saying “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only“. These ARE three distinctly different statements; the first IS common to the three synoptic gospels; ALL say the same things with slight variations in the wording. We brought these words up earlier in our discussion of the Master’s words as an additional idea to support the reality that ALL of what Jesus tells us here IS in regard to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. This IS clearly what we should see here and perhaps the ONLY idea that is variable IS that of “this generation“. The Greek word here IS genea which has several meanings. Strong’s tells us that the idea of genea IS: a generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons)9a. It IS generally accepted to mean the people alive in a certain time, NOT individually but corporately, and IS framed by some translations as “the people now living” and “the people of this time“. The idea should be generally understood as: a group of people living at the same time (contemporaries), a specific span of time (roughly 30-40 years), or a lineage/family history **. While the idea today IS a bit shorter time frame, the general idea of a generation in our context IS likely a reference to people living at the same time (contemporaries). It IS such that “shall not pass” until both the destruction of the city and the rising up of the Christian movement under the ideas we discussed regarding “the Son of man“. This limits the time frame to the time in which people living at the same time yet walk the Earth; again this should NOT be understood on a individual basis. What we should see here IS confirmation that the whole of the Master’s words ARE in regard to this destruction and the creation of what will become Christianity.
The Master’s next words ARE likely for effect, for the effect of the disciples understanding that His words ARE forever; that what He has said and will say CAN NOT be changed. From our perspective this includes ALL of His precepts and His commandments as well as ALL of His predictions, His prophecies if you will. While we see a Christian world that has ignored the reality of these words, they ARE nonetheless Truths and we would add here, perhaps with a bit less force, the sum total of the clarifying and amplifying words of His apostles. We DO NOT include in this the commentaries that they individually offer but rather the reality of the ideas that ARE tied directly to the Master’s words. For example the Master shows us the idea of agape as the primary action of ALL who seek to follow the Lord and He shows us as well that this agape IS offered to ALL “on the evil and on the good” (Matthew 5:45), “unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35). James amplifies these ideas and clarifies them with the same effect as the Master’s words saying “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:8-10). Can we see the point here?
We should note here that the idea of the foreverness of the Master’s words should have been a KEY point in the origins and the continuation of Christianity as a religion and perhaps for some they ARE considered as such. What complicates the church yet today IS NOT Jesus’ words per se, but rather the interpretations that men have put on them, interpretations that ofttimes dilute and ever change the tenor of His words. In DOING so many lean on another set of interpretations which they apply to the words of His apostles in the epistles. ALL of this IS based in the vanity of men as they most always ONLY see the carnal applications that require NO True effort and allow men to remain as men in this world. To be sure for most this IS the natural way of Life as most DO NOT have the spiritual collateral to step out with the necessary certainty and become True followers; most ARE content with their chosen doctrinal approach or NO approach to the Godhead at ALL. Those that have taken on the responsibility of the spiritual lives of others however should NOT be among this group that lacks the necessary certainty; unfortunately this IS NOT the way yet today. There ARE too many that have taken on the mantle of spiritual leader and teacher but who at the same time live carnally in this world while their ONLY link to the Truth IS their doctrines which ARE in reality NO link at ALL. So then, we should try to see that in saying “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away“, the Master IS showing us that there IS NO doctrinal alternative to the Truth and this IS the same lesson that He tried to give to the Jews regarding the word of God. When the Master tells us “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” it IS an expansion on this same message that “my words shall not pass away“.
Encapsulated in the Master’s words ARE the reality of the Ten Commandments which themselves had been subjected to the doctrinal ideas of the Jews. With the ease that Jesus dismisses such ideas as the sabbath, an idea that has always been subject to interpretation being a doctrinal extension of the commandment “to keep holy the Lord’s day“, He also changes the emphasis that had been placed on many of the others. It IS the reality of the Ten Commandments that Jesus speaks of saying “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18) and it IS this same idea that He repeats in our subject verse saying “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away“. Can we see the point here? In the end we should try to see that the law, the reality of it and NOT the doctrinal interpretations, as modified by the Master plus ALL of the other amplifying ideas that both He and His apostles add ARE what “shall not pass away“. It IS unfortunate that much of the Truth passed away in the churches long, long ago as men tried to interpret perfectly clear words to their own carnal benefit. As we say above, the depths of the Truth that the Master shows us ARE NOT for everyman but, at the same time most never have a real opportunity to see if they can understand the Truth. This because they ARE bombarded with doctrines from their childhood, doctrines that they ARE told ARE the Truth. Being born into vanity and then nurtured and indoctrinated into the ways of the world IS the plight of humankind and the ONLY escape IS found in the Truths of every world religion. As we often say, the doctrinal approach to the Lord IS a suitable arena for many who would NOT think much about their spiritual selves in the absence of doctrines; doctrines DO keep many somewhat focused on the Lord albeit from a strictly doctrinal perspective.
There IS a cure for this doctrinal malaise and it IS found in the church leaders forgoing their politics and their leaning upon the words of Paul for ‘salvation‘; and to begin to both learn and teach the deeper ideas that the Master brought the world 2000 years ago. Ideas that show men the Truth of the Great Commandments, the Golden Rule and such sayings as we find in our trifecta which we repeat here saying:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
While the doctrinal ideas on salvation and the existance of heaven as a place for people to go after death, so long as they ‘accept’ the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, control the minds of many many millions of Christians, such ideas ARE but the doctrinal interpretations of obscure passages and of the words of Paul. And, to be sure, it IS out of context sayings that ARE cobbled together to achieve these doctrinal ideas which offer comfort to a Christian world and relieve men of the need to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). If we look intelligently at the presentations of most of the church we should be able to easily see the deception, the self-deception, that abounds. While some denominations and sects DO NOT subscribe to these doctrinal ideas of ‘salvation‘, most ALL have created similar scenarios and comfort providing doctrinal ideas. With ALL this in mind, it seems almost useless for the Master to tell us that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” and then to say to His disciples alone that “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away“. However, despite this logic, the church remains on its path of teaching the Master’s words on the one hand but denying that men must be “doers of the word” for True salvation on the other.
The Master closes His comments saying “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” and here the reference IS to the destruction of the temple and the city in 70 AD. Again, most ALL of the church sees the idea of the end times in these words despite the way that the entirety of Jesus’ preceding words ARE in regard to the sacking of Jerusalem. The point IS simple, “no man” knoweth “of that day and hour” and while many believe that through these words the Master IS saying that the Father has control of these happenings, the reality IS simply that men CAN NOT KNOW and that God KNOWS ALL. It IS in the reality of the eternal now that the Godhead exists as He sees ALL as the author of the entire storyline of existance and we offer this idea as an explanation of the idea that God KNOWS ALL without the constraints of time. This ends our discussion of the second section the Master’s words from Matthew twenty four but this IS NOT the end of our discussion as we proceed now to our third section where we read:
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:37-51).
The first part here IS a reflection on the Old Testament story of Noah and His ark. To begin, we should note that the entirety of this story IS that it IS but a story to show the world’s transition from one historical period to another. We should understand that while many, Christians, Jews and Muslims, use the timeline of the Book of Genesis literally, there IS NO timeline actually offered. Most timelines ARE based upon the lineage offered in Genesis which IS used to count backward to a ‘beginning’. This beginning IS of course contrary to ALL scientific evidence and much Christian effort goes into disproving the science in support of their ‘biblical’ worldview. In past essays we cited the words of Alexander Maclaren regarding the Book of Genesis and we repeat them here to clarify our own position. Mr. Maclaren, a profound Christian writer, tells us that: “We are not to look to Genesis for a scientific cosmogony, and are not to be disturbed by physicists’ criticisms on it as such. Its purpose is quite another, and far more important; namely, to imprint deep and ineffaceable the conviction that the one God created all things. Nor must it be forgotten that this vision of creation was given to people ignorant of natural science, and prone to fall back into surrounding idolatry“12. It IS unfortunate that the ideas presented by much of the church, in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, paint the story as real and take the words and ideas literally. This many DO for the entire Book of Genesis. We should understand that the Jews KNOW this story of Noah, it IS a part of the fabric of their culture and their religion. It IS this basic knowledge of the story that the Master IS using to help explain His main point which follows later as He says “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh“. We have addressed these words before in different contexts, from the presumed end times to the time of our own demise and the main message IS simply that men should “be ye also ready“. This caution IS missed by most in regard to both the times in which it IS said and to everyman’s individual demise. This IS a cautionary message that we will discuss in detail when we address the Parable of the Faithful Servant which ends this chapter.
What we should try to see in this reference and comparison of the flood which ‘consumed the world’ and the “the coming of the Son of man“, IS the message that NO man in those days KNEW when these events would happen and this IS the second time that the Master references this fact. Earlier the Master tells us “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only“. Again, the Godhead KNOWS ALL through the idea of the eternal now which gives support to this idea of “my Father only“. We should try to see however that the doctrinal idea that God KNOWS ALL things IS NOT so in a predictable way but should be understood in the same way as such terms as “the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7) should be understood. The hairs ARE indeed numbered in the same was as the Godhead KNOWS ALL things; ALL things ARE present within the reality of Life but ARE NOT necessarily individually KNOWN by any single being. This “the Son of man” IS NOT a predictable idea from the perspective of men and we should add here that much of what happens to the disciples, the fullness of their awakening, IS likely directly tied to the Master’s death which force the disciples to take the mantle upon themselves as Souls living through their carnal forms and minds. There IS NO way to simplify these ideas and we should try to see that as individuals we must rely upon our own measure of revealed Truth to understand the depths of these ideas.
The Master next gets into a sort of separation of men and while the meaning may seem obscure, we should remember that ALL of this segment of His words ARE in regard to the sacking of Jerusalem. As we discussed in an earlier post, these same words appear in Luke’s Gospel in the seventeenth chapter which IS also, in part, in regard to these same events in 70 AD. Why Luke chose to separated these ideas from the main part IS unknown and we should note that these ideas ARE missing from Mark’s version of these events. Moreover, in the Chronology of the New Testament that we use, the ideas from Luke ARE placed under the heading of the Coming of the Kingdom of God because this IS where Jesus answers the Pharisees’ question of “when the kingdom of God should come” saying that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). To accomplish this they separate out certain verses from Matthew’s Gospel and place them under this same heading despite the clear evidence that the words pertain to the destruction of the temple and the city. The words in Matthew tell us that “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left” and a KEY idea here IS in the word then. This word IS rendered from the Greek word tote which IS clearly defined by Strong’s as: the when, i.e. at the time that (of the past or future, also in consecution):—that time, then 9a. Perhaps to make this idea NOT reliant on the previous verses and to make it agree with Luke’s version, several translations eliminate the idea of then; it IS there however and it DOES tie these words to the earlier text. Luke however DOES NOT try to make these ideas less reliant of the previous words that show us that the event IS the destruction of Jerusalem as he adds a verse showing the Master saying “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left” (Luke 17:34). These words DO NOT appear in Matthew’s version and we should see the idea of “in that night” as equivalent to then.
In the combined texts of Matthew and Luke we have three ideas to discuss; the idea cited above and “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left“. These verses ARE among those that ARE separated out in most doctrinal presentations of the gospels and made a part of the end times theologies rather than the events of 70 AD. Even John Gill however sees past this desire to put these words into the end times saying: not by the preaching of the Gospel, into the kingdom of God, or Gospel dispensation; though such a distinction God makes, by the ministry of the word, accompanied by his Spirit and power; nor by angels, to meet Christ in the air, and to be introduced into his kingdom and glory; but by the eagles, the Roman army, and either killed or carried captive by them: and the other left 8. While these ideas ARE certainly among the possibilities that the Master intends us to see, there IS perhaps even more involved in the idea of one taken and one left. We should remember here that the whole of the narrative has changed from the idea of the “great tribulation” from the first section of our discussion to the idea of the “the coming of the Son of man” which IS repeated again here in this third section as a comparison to the suddenness of the flood in the story of Noah. We should try to see that it IS “the coming of the Son of man” that will separate men and women; it IS “the coming of the Son of man” that will cause some to follow in the way of the Lord and others to remain in the doldrums of their nearly extinguished religion. The idea of “shall be taken” here IS from the Greek word paralambano which IS defined by Strong’s as “to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)” 9a. These defining ideas cast more upon the idea of paralambano than simply taken. Thayer’s, whose defining ideas ARE generally assigned to the context, tells us that in this verse the idea of paralambano IS: to take to (cf. παρά, IV. 1), to take with oneself, to join to oneself 9; again the idea of “shall be taken” IS NOT here.
Much like the way that the idea of elect or chosen IS assigned to the Greek word eklektos where it IS the doctrinal ideas that have defined the word, so IS this idea of paralambano. In eklektos we have the idea of the act of picking out, choosing 2 from a noun derivative of eklektos which seems to act here as a verb and, if we can understand that it IS the Souls of men that ARE choosing to follow the Lord, we can have a much better understanding of the role of man in this world. This eliminates then the idea of predestination as that IS understood. Here then the idea that “they shall gather together his elect” where “they shall gather together” IS from the single word episunago and autos need NOT mean his as it refers to a range of pronouns, can be understood as that the disciples and saints, NOT angels as that idea IS understood, will gather together those that have chosen to follow the Lord. In this same way we can look now at paralambano and see that one IS NOT taken either by the Lord in a form of ‘rapture’, or by the Romans as John Gill suggests, but rather that one willingly joins with “the Son of man coming in the clouds“, willingly joins with the disciples and the saints that ARE leading the Way into a new religious idea not yet named Christianity.
It IS for this that the Master tells His disciples that they should “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come“. This idea IS rather clear save for the idea of kyrios which IS rendered as Lord. Yes this word IS used to refer to the Master throughout the gospels but it IS also used to refer to the idea of a master. It IS in the preconceptions that formed Christian doctrine that the idea here becomes Lord in the sense of God. If we can try to see that these words ARE the lead in to the Parable of the Faithful Servant, ALL of this can make sense according to our understanding of the above ideas. While these words ARE attributed solely to the second coming of Jesus and while we have in the past shown the need for men’s readiness through these words, this IS NOT the context in which these ideas should be understood. Remember, we ARE talking here about the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem and NOT the end times which we should see as a doctrinal creation. And while it IS True that the idea IS that “ye know not what hour” the “Son of man” will come, it IS important to understand, under the reality of the events of 70 AD, just what this means. We should try NOT to see only the tribulation of the destruction of the city here; this will happen and there IS not much one can do in readiness save for the specific instruction like “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house“. This idea of readiness IS in regard to the preparedness of the gathered disciples and followers to follow the new leaders, the disciples and saints that ARE “the Son of man“.
It IS from here that the Master goes into the Parable of the Faithful Servant and, again, while this IS seen solely in regard to the end times by many parts of the church, there ARE other realities that ARE incorporated into the Master’s words. We should try to see that the opening line of this parable IS the statement saying “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come“; in Matthew’s version this sets the stage for the rest of Jesus’ words. Understanding that the time of these events, the tribulation of the destruction of the city and the “the coming of the Son of man” IS unknown and the Master goes out of His way to enforce this idea. This IS an important point regardless of the view of His words, that they be regarding the sacking of Jerusalem or the end times, and perhaps the greatest reinforcement IS in His words saying “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only“; this we discuss in some detail above. The Master here pivots to the story that IS the Parable of the Faithful Servant which begins with the idea “that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up“. This IS a universally True idea which can apply to many scenarios and here IS it apparent that the idea that Jesus IS presenting IS that same idea: that we CAN NOT KNOW when things that ARE out of our control will happen. In the end the whole message of this parable can be understood through the next verse saying “be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh“.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect | Potency | Aspect of Man | In Relation to the Great Invocation | In relation to the Christ |
| GOD, The Father | Will or Power | Spirit or Life | Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN | Life |
| Son, The Christ | Love and Wisdom | Soul or Christ Within | Heart of God | Truth |
| Holy Spirit | Light or Activity | Life Within | Mind of God | Way |
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- ** Google AI on the meaning of generation in biblical times
- 12 Expositions of Holy Scripture–Project Gutenberg’s and Baker Book House’ Expositions of Holy Scripture, by Alexander Maclaren–(1826-1910)
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
